Patient Stories

Élodie

No Tan Was Worth What I Lost: My Melanoma Story at 30

I heard the word melanoma at 30 – and everything shifted. Growing up, I spent my summers in Spain. As a redhead, I was usually the only one swimming in a T-shirt. I burned easily. I knew that. But I still wanted what everyone else had – a tan. 

As a teenager, when I moved to Canada, I started using tanning beds. Not to burn – just enough, I told myself, to “prepare” my skin for summer, but there’s no such thing as preparing your skin for sun damage. That’s something I learned the hard way.

I lost half an ear.

At first, I didn’t even realize anything was wrong. I thought I had simply burned my skin with a curling iron. But my mom kept asking about it – it didn’t look like a normal burn. It kept changing colour, going from pink to purple, and it just wouldn’t heal. 

At the time, I was a young mom with two kids under five. Life was busy, and honestly, going to the doctor just didn’t feel like a priority. 

One day, both of my kids were sick and coughing, so my mom convinced me (or rather, tricked me) into going to the doctor. She registered all three of us for appointments. That visit ended up changing everything. 

Within about two months, I got a call from a dermatologist. When she saw the spot, she told me it was either nothing… or something very serious. She said it was a 50/50 chance. 

Everything happened very quickly after that. Just three days later, I got the call: it was melanoma. 

I had to go through nuclear imaging to check whether the cancer had spread to my sentinel lymph nodes. Thankfully, it was caught at Stage 1. The doctors considered removing a lymph node from my neck, but it was too close to my facial nerve. The risk of paralyzing half my face was too high, so they decided not to proceed with that. Instead, I had close and ongoing follow-ups to monitor the area. 

In the end, I was incredibly lucky. Surgery was enough – I didn’t need any additional treatment. 

Looking back, none of those tanning sessions were worth it; not one. 

What’s hardest to explain is the feeling of losing control. I have always been someone who takes care of herself – movement, wellness, discipline. You do everything “right,” and still… this happens. 

Today, I’m more aware – more intentional – and I use my voice in a way I never did before. I talk about sun safety. I question the idea that being tan is healthy or beautiful, because I used to believe that too. 

If there’s one thing I want people to understand, it’s this: sun damage doesn’t care how healthy you are otherwise, and the habits you think are harmless can stay with you. 

This is part of my story now – but it’s also the reason I speak up. Because no tan is worth what I lost.